Machine for buffing, sanding, and the like



Nov. 27, 1951 H. L. AUTEN 2, 7

- MACHINE FOR BUFFING, SANDING AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 50, 1949 2 Sl-lEETS-Sl-IEET l IN VENZZQ.

ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 27, 1951 I H. L. AUTEN 7 ,7

MACHINE FOR BUFFING, SANDING AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 50, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Nov. 27, 1951 e r 2,576,745

ED TES MACHINE FOR BUFFIN G, SANDING,

' ANDTIHE LIKE Howard L. Auten, East Begr aill Applicationrseptember 30, 1949;, Serial No..118;93.8.

QCl aims, (01. 51-170) v n ien relates to, apoWerri enb ifin ornsanding. machine; in part cular, it concerns a greatly, improvedpower-driven bufier or sander havingimportant and novel, structural features which contributeugreatlytg ease of manufacture 5 and repair.

t b rs meand r sual pr visisd Witha small, self-contained electric motor, have been n quite neral us f s me a sn various forms and mqclels, such machines have been used for smoothing surfaces by sandingior hing urni ure, utomeb la die nd the bje ts by. h fina a. was. n l h h shoes, and many other functions which bufiing or abrasivelaction wasreguired.

The, prior-art machines of thisso'rt, however, have had serious "practical 'shortcomingswhich have kept their price high and'their range of application limitedi For one thing, they have in general been verycomplicated mechanically and thus very difficult to assemble and to repair. There has been, in general, no convenient and rapid means of removing a particular belt and replacing it with another belt without the useof tools; 'This fact has, as a practical matter, prevented anywidespread sale of such devices to amateur woodworking enthusiasts and other non professional artisans.

I have developed-an improved power buffing 0r sanding machine, in which the shortcomings of the prior-art structures are overcome and a much higher degree ofvflexibility and versatility. is achieved. Moreover, my, invention embodies certain novel-structural features which make the machine economical toiconstruct, easy to disassemble for lubrication or repair, and particularly well adapted for easy and rapid substitution of belts without needfor tools.

The conspicuous advantage of having the, belt readily replaceable is that a single, machine may be v thus employed for a great'variety of uses. Equipped with a belt hayinga natural or artificial fur surface, the machine can be used as a shoe polisher or as a machine for finishing waxed surcanbelpl aced un r, te faces on furniture, floors, etc.v Equipped with a sion attl ieiq fi to sanding belt of appropriate fineness, the machine b ay. be u d n oodw rk naand a p n r for sanding down wood surfaces. Metal polishing could equally well be accomplished with the same machine by the substitution of an appropriate emery belt.

Accordingly, one of the major objects of my invention is to provide a portable power bufier or sanding. machine which novel and effecl as ent @Piwi- Z mtievea ion s o me.- vid arp, a l ower br q l a inama l l a th Ca 3, co-operation with pivoted hook members I3 on side wall I012 for the purpose of holding cover portion Ifle in closed position.

Cover portion Ifle, in the illustrated embodiment, is provided with a handle I4, riveted or bolted thereto.

Side wall IIlb is modified by an outwardly projecting longitudinalrecess or track member I5, extending the entire length of the side wall I02) and being open at each end as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Track member I5 is oriented parallel to bottom wall IBd, so that when the casing is resting on bottom wall Ifld in a horizontal position, track member I5 is also horizontal.

Side wall I0c is equipped with a corresponding track member I6 which is in every respect symmetrical in shape and. orientation to track memv ber I5 on the opposite side wall I0b.

A driven roller I1 is provided with a coaxially mounted driving gear I8 keyed thereto. Roller I1 and driving gear I8 are journaled into bearings provided in side rails I9 and I911, which are adapted to slide within track members I5 and I6 respectively. On the forward portion of side rails I9 and I9a an electric motor 29 is mounted, gears 2I and 22 beingsupported in one of the side rails and operative to form a gear train directly coupling the shaft of motor to main drive gear I8.

As may be seen from Fig. 2, side rails I9 and ISa, electric motor 29, driven roller I1, and the ear train combine to form a compact sub-assembly which slides into casing I0 in track members I5 and I6. When electrical current is supplied to motor 20, roller I1 is rotated.

An idler roller 23 is journaled into bearings 2412 provided in tubular support members 24 and 24a, the axles 23a being terminated in generally ball-shaped members adapted to ride within bearings 24b while leaving a limited axle play available for belt alignment.

A pair of side rails-25 and 25a are adapted, like rails I9 and I9a, to nest within track members I5 and I6. The lengths of rails I9 and 25 respectively are substantially equal and their combined length is approximately equal to that of track member I5. Rails I9a and 25a are bilaterally symmetrical to their counterparts, rails I9 and 25.

As may be best seen in Fig. 6, rails 25 and 25a are provided with a longitudinal bore extending almost throughout their entire length, but terminating slightly before the rear wall is reached. Into the longitudinal bores in rails 25 and 25a respectively, support members 24 and 24a are inserted, the bores being adapted to receive the support members readily. A coil spring 26, seated within an axial recess in the rear face of support member 24, bears against the rear wall of rail 25 and thus causes support member 24 normally to be urged forward with respect to rail 25. A similar coil spring (not shown) couples support member 24a to rail 25a and causes member 24a to be urged forwardly of rail 25a.

Rails 25 and 25a have a transverse bore near their rear walls, and lock members 21 and 21a respectively are carried therewithin. The lock members 21 and 21a have longitudinal bores corresponding to the longitudinal bores in the rails 25 and 25a. A screw member 29 is keyed to the forward face of lock member 21 and protrudes through a small aperture in track member I5, screw 28 being secured by an external thumb-nut 29. A corresponding screw member 28a is keyed to lock member 21a and in turn protrudes through an aperture in track member I 5, being secured by thumb screw29a.

4 An endless belt 30, having length adapted to fit over rollers 23 and I1 when they are in normal position within casing I0, may be fitted over the rollers by separating hooks I2 and I3 and raising cover member I5e slightly. The belt 35 is shown in Fig. 4 in the process of being placed in position. It will be understood that, while the belt shown is that of a fur-surfaced buffer, any desired type of belt may be used.

Electrical cord 3I is mounted within handle I4 and wires therefrom are carried through handle I4 through switch 32 into the space immediately under cover member Hie. From that point they are carried along the under surface of cover We and finally terminate in a jack plate 33, mounted on wall I00 above track member I6. A suitable plug member 34, adapted for co-operation with jack plate 33, provides a connection for carrying electric current to motor 20. It will be understood that the method shown of supplying current to motor 29 is entirely a matter of choice, and any suitable connecting means may be used.

Stop screws 35 may be vertically mounted in the forward end of rails 25 and 25a if desired; these screws serve the purpose of providing a limit for outward movement of bearing members 24. They may be omitted if desired, since the belt 39 normally limits the outward excursion of idler roller 23 and its associated parts; and, when belt 30 has been removed, bearing members 24 and 24a are normally locked in place by tightening of manual nuts 29 and 29a respectively.

Assembly and operation Assembly of a machine made according to my invention is rapid and simple. The rails I9, motor 20, driven roller I1, and the gear-train connecting motor 29 to the roller together constitute a compact sub-assembly. It may be moved into position by sliding rails I9 and I9a into the open ends of channels I5 and I6 respectively.

Rails 25 and 2501. are fitted into position at the opposite end of channels I5 and I6, the insertion being made with lock nuts 29 and 29a removed. These nuts can be screwed onto bolts 28 and 28a respectively after the rails are in place. Coil springs 26 may be next inserted, followed by bearing members 24 and 24a. The nuts 29 should be tightened to lock the idler roller in a position close enough to driven roller I! to aiford ready clearance for endless belt 30, which can then be slipped over the rollers in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The lock nuts should then be loosened and idler roller 23 will immediately spring forward, placing belt 3!] under tension and insuring effective, non-slipping drive thereof when motor 20 is started.

Eflective belt alignment is assured by the limited universal movement provided by the ball-terminated axles carried bythe idler roller 23. When the position of stable operation has been assumed by the idler roller and its bearing members, lock nuts 29 and 290, may be tightened and left thus locked until the next time a belt change is desired.

After the belt has been placed on the machine, hooks I2 and I3 can be coupled to secure the cover member in place, and the machine is then ready for use.

Should it be desired to remove a particular belt and substitute a different one, as in changing the machine from a buffer to a sander, the cover member is raised'slightly after releasing hooks l2 and 13. The idler roller 23 is pushed a short distance inward and is locked in that position by tightening nuts 29 and 29a. The belt may then be readily removed and replaced.

While I have in this specification described, for purposes of illustration, a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that many changes and variations in detail can be made therein by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a housing comprising a pair of longitudinal track members, a carriage having a pair of side rails adapted to ride on the track members, said carriage carrying a driven roller and having an electric motor mounted between the rails and mechanically coupled to the roller for rotating the same, an idler roller mounted between the track members at the opposite end of the housing and adapted to support an endless belt in co-operation with the driven roller, and spring tensioning means tending normally to urge the two rollers apart.

2'. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the track members are channels integrally formed in the side walls of the housing.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the track members are channels integrally formed in the side walls of the housing and wherein the idler roller is supported by a. pair of side rails formed to slide within the channels in the housing walls.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the housing is formed from a single piece of material bent' into generally rectangular cross sec tion to provide an open-ended enclosure and an extension of one side is bent over the top to form a cover member for supporting a handle and enclosing the top of the endless belt.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the idler roller is journaled into bearing members and wherein a pair of rails provided with longitudinal bores are mounted within the track members, said bearing members being slidably supported within said bores.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the idler roller is journaled into bearing members and wherein a .pair of rails provided with longitudinal bores are mounted within the track members, said bearing members being slidably supported within said bores, and wherein the tensioning means comprises a compression spring for each bearing member, said spring being mounted to bear against the end of the bore and to seat on the bearing member with which it is associated.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein manually operable lock means are provided to lock the idler roller temporarily in a desired position to facilitate removal of the endless belt, notwithstanding the action of the tensioning means tending to urge the two rollers apart.

8. Apparatus of the class described comprising an integrally formed housing forming an openended body portion with a cover member, formed by an extension of one side of th body portion, bent over the top of the body portion, means detachably securing the free edge of the cover member to the body portion, a handle carried by the cover member, longitudinal channels formed in the sides of the body portion, a sub-assembly unit designed to slide into said channels comprising a pair of rails, a roller journaled between them, a motor supported between the rails, and linkage coupling the motor to the roller for rotation, a second pair of rails mounted in the opposite ends of the channels, said rails being bored longitudinally, bearing members slidably supported in the bores, an idler roller journaled in the bearing members, springs in the bores for urging the rollers apart, lock means carried by the last-mentioned pair of rails for securing the idler roller temporarily in a desired position notwithstanding the action of the springs, and an endless belt mountable on the rollers when the free edge of the cover member is detached from the body portion and slightly raised.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the idler roller is journaled into bearing members and wherein a pair of rails provided with longitudinal bores are mounted within the track members, said bearing members being slidably supported within said bores, and said idler roller being provided with axles having limited play within said bearings for facilitating belt alignment.

HOWARD L. AUTEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,070,257 Coates Feb. 9, 1937 2,106,535 Pattison et a1. Jan. 25, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 602,436 Germany Sept. 8, 1934 

